The Global Mind and Vision of Future of the University

Distinguished scholars,

Thank you for taking time to attend this meeting on the Global Soul, Global Mind and Global Action: Futuring from Survival to Thrival.

As you know, this is the fourth in a series of future oriented conferences at Tamkang University . In 2000, there was New Futures, with world speakers such as Hazel Henderson, Johan Galtung, Wendell Bell and Elisabet Sahtouris.

Then in 2002 we had the Conference on Innovation in Education, where we explored the alternative futures of the University and how best to teach the future.

Last year, in partnership with the World Futures Studies Federation, we held a course on future oriented policymaking. This has come to be known as the Typhoon conference. During the meeting, the typhoon hit. However, this did not deter participants, who met informally for many hours, sharing their case studies on how futures thinking can change how governments make policy.

And now today, we have the futures of the global soul conference. But, why is this topic? Our thoughts are that what is unique about our time is three-fold. First, the dramatic developments in technology drive from genetics to artificial intelligence to breakthroughs in the body-mind arena.

Second, is the process of globalization, not just at the economic level, but more deeply in the capacity of humanity to reflect upon itself, to question its direction? This is different then the question why but is the question of where to next? What do we want the world to be like?

Third, is the notion of “we” – who is asking this question? Is the “we” that is exploring the future our individual selves, or is there a collective “we”? Is so, what is the appropriate language to describe this we? Do we use the eloquent work of Pico Iyer who talks about the new emerging global self? Or do we use the language of Willis Harmon who wrote about the global mind? Or HG. Wells and the global brain? I leave this crucial distinction to you, learned scholars.

But as a university president, my concern is not just research and inquiry but global action. What do we do with our new knowledge, our new technologies, and our collective consciousness?

And this becomes the crucial question. Can we make the shift from survival – the jungle – to the vision of thrival, of working together to create a new future for the planet?

Using our collective wisdom to make different types of decisions; decisions that do not jeopardize future generations, that reduce environmental pollution, that ensure that do not create a divided world – a world in conflict with itself – and ultimate, positively put: a world that while keeping the dignity of the individual, understands that our soul, our mind, and our actions, are and indeed must be global in scope.

Thank you very much, and we at Tamkang University look forward to learning from all of you.

 

 

Flora Chia-I Chang

President, Tamkang University